2014 MOSES Conference - Farming in the City 28 February 2014 Anne Pfieffer, Julie Dawson, Alex Liebman, and Claire Strader

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1 2014 MOSES Conference - Farming in the City 28 February 2014 Anne Pfieffer, Julie Dawson, Alex Liebman, and Claire Strader To find this handout and supporting documents on the web, please see the farmer resources page on the FairShare CSA Coalition website. Scroll down to find the 2014 MOSES conference under Conference/Workshop materials: Intensive Vegetable Production Alex Liebman Guiding questions: How can we maximize use of space and time while minimizing labor expenditures? What is the best way to build soil while maximizing production capacity of small plots? How do we extend the season with low-input, portable technologies? What is the best way to diversify our operation while not creating overbearing complexity? Succession Planting: Successions are vital to the success of an urban farm operation. They can make up for limitations in space by maximizing/increasing the amount of time that the ground is covered by crops. Principles of succession planting: Fill each piece of land with as many crops as possible throughout the growing season Switch among crop families to reduce risk of insect or pest damage Begin as early as possible in the season and continue as late as possible Low-cost season extension is vital: i.e. remay and low-hoops with plastic Important considerations for successful succession production: 1. How many days from planting until harvest? Keep records for all crops Group crop varieties that mature at similar rates to allow for transition of beds Example: If all onions are planted in one block, keep fresh onions separate from storage onions so that beds can be opened and transitioned to succeeding crops as onions mature. 2. How will I prepare the soil for the succeeding crop? How will I handle residue from preceding crop? o Crops such as radishes, carrots, or lettuce heads in which the entire plant is pulled from ground are excellent preceding crops for finely seeded plants (e.g. salad mix) o Keep large amount of finished compost on-site for easy availability and remove plant material off field for composting o Mow salad greens, arugula, etc. as close as possible to ground, till lightly o Effective weed control is vital as limiting weed growth facilitates easier transition from cropto-crop What will I use to prepare the bed? o Stone s Throw Urban Farm uses a BCS walk-behind tractor with rototiller attachment for quick turnover o If minimal residue is present, a scuffle hoe and garden rake are effective tools What are the nutrient and various cultural requirements of each crop? o Soil tests are vital to make sure nutrient levels are not decreasing over time; soil is not becoming more acidic, etc.

2 3. What are the irrigation requirements of each crop? Plan crops to minimize changes in irrigation equipment throughout season Example: spring planted salad greens likely do not require irrigation, tomatoes planted directly into salad greens solely require one line of drip irrigation Example: carrots --> arugula --> spinach all use overhead sprinklers, only need to install one irrigation system Strategies for soil building within intensive vegetable production: 1. Spring mulching Hay/straw to protect soil moisture, suppress weeds, and build soil organic matter Sometimes mulch WITH seed can be a blessing in disguise Example: Straw advertised as seed-free actually had rye seeds (but no weed seeds) embedded when we mulched our tomatoes. At first we were quite aggravated, but then found that a small amount of management - weed-wacking the re-seeded rye a few times in the season - allowed us to simultaneously mulch our field, grow a rye cover crop for the whole summer, and produce excellent tomatoes. 2. Spring cover-crops Underseeding clover beneath straw mulch can improve germination of clover, allows clover to slowly grow throughout the season, while mulch keeps weeds to a minimum. 3. Fall mulching Leaf collection from alleyways: Hundreds of pounds of biomass can be collected with pick-up truck and trailer in a matter of minutes. Landscape companies are often pleased to dump shredded leaves at urban farm sites. Need to be careful not to acidify soil or add too much carbon. Carbon increase can be mitigated by selective application of nitrogen fertilizer to root zone of crop 4. Summer cover-crops In late summer, broadcast seed beneath existing crops (e.g. kale, tomatoes). Effective cover crop mixes might be oats and peas or rye and vetch We have experimented with a buckwheat cover crop between tomato beds for several years o Does not stand up well or regrow with repeated trampling o Buckwheat also performed well between rows of cucurbits For cover crop success: o o Germination is highly moisture dependent. Irrigate if necessary Seed heavily if soil conditions are poor. Seed may be relatively cheap compared to the soil cover and erosion control that is contingent upon good cover crop establishment.

3 Sample successions: Crop Date Notes Salad Mix 4/15-5/12 Mow to ground, add 1 compost, till, shape bed, allow 1 week for decomposition before planting succeeding crop Carrots 5/19-8/1 Spinach 8/2-9/15 - keep clear of weeds, compost plant residue off-field, add 1 compost, till, reshape, plant succeeding crop immediately - water well during August heat for adequate germination/growth, harvest in early Sept., recut early Oct. Crop Date Notes Onions 4/15-7/25 Kale 8/1-12/1 - Keep clear of weeds (as best as possible), plant similar varieties for even maturation, compost weeds off-field, add 1 compost - use kale transplants (started 6/20) for improved success, harvest throughout fall/early winter Rye/vetch/clover cover crop mix 9/10 - Underseeded after final cultivation of kale planting, broadcast and scratch with rake/hoe Crop Date Notes Salad mix 4/25 Plant densely Tomatoes 5/15 Transplant directly into salad mix, clear 4 diam. circle for each plant. Harvest salad mix around developing tomato plants. Buckwheat cover crop 6/10 Direct seed in between tomato rows (keep records, adjust dates to time flowering with development of tomato flowers for pollinator attraction) Leaf mulch 11/1 Clear tomato plants, compost off-field, apply collected leaves on to field ~3-4 inches depth Crop Date Notes Mammoth clover 4/15 Field prepped, clover broadcast and incorporated with tiller in final bed preparation Peppers 5/20 Transplanted Straw mulch 6/10 Peppers hoed around plant, clover begins to cover entire field, straw mulch laid to smother weeds

4 Labor Management Claire Strader Resources for selecting the team: Farm Commons The section on Resources for Farmers and Advocates has many resources including guides on internship and apprentice programs as well as resources for hiring employees and worker shares. Internships in Sustainable Farming: A Handbook for Farmers by Doug Jones, Available on the NOFA website at: Getting buy in from the crew: Formal and informal learning opportunities o Annual Orientation for everyone, including worker shares and volunteers o Monday morning field tour for interns and regular staff o Classes as simple as a book discussion or as detailed as a workshop on crop planning o Discussions in the field and over lunch o Field tours of other farms o Intern solo week where the interns run the farm on their own for a week culminating in the final CSA pickup of the season Provide excellent training and then create opportunities for interns and regular staff to take on some training and supervisory responsibilities. These opportunities, if managed well, can: o Reinforce and enhance workers knowledge of the tasks by requiring them to train others o Increase workers sense of responsibility to a job well-done and to the farm overall o Allow workers to practice important time and labor management skills themselves o Deepen workers understanding of the farmers job o Create a sense of pride in workers individual and team abilities Resources for training and leading the crew: scroll to the 2014 MOSES Conference Troy Community Farm Intern Training Manual by Claire Strader, 2004, updated for 2012 Includes detailed information on how things are done on the farm, complete with photos and the full 2012 crop plan. All interns read the manual in their first week on the farm and use it as a reference throughout their internship and beyond. Troy Community Farm Worker Handbook by Claire Strader, 2007, updated for 2012 Includes information for all interns, worker shares, and volunteers who will work on the farm and guides the on-site orientation that all workers attend in May. All workers read the handbook before arriving on the farm and have the opportunity to actually see the tools and facilities and to ask questions during the orientation Troy Intern Class Schedule Troy Harvest Task Sheets: This link will take you to the harvest task sheet information on the SARE site. The development of these sheets was funded by SARE. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find links to the final report and the task sheets themselves. The sheets are used by the crew leaders to help teach and supervise harvest tasks.

5 Sample Harvest Task Sheets:

6 Presenter Contact Information Anne Pfeiffer Community and Regional Food Systems University of Wisconsin-Madison Julie Dawson Assistant Professor Department of Horticulture University of Wisconsin-Madison Alex Liebman Farmer Stone s Throw Urban Farm 2216 Elliot Avenue South Minneapolis, MN alexliebman@gmail.com Claire Strader Small Scale and Organic Produce Educator Dane County UW-Extension FairShare CSA Coalition 5201 Fen Oak Drive 303 South Paterson, #1B Madison, WI Madison, WI strader.claire@countyofdane.com claire@csacoalition.org

7 2014 MOSES Conference Farming in the City - Two Farm's Finances Claire Strader Alex Liebman Troy Community Farm Stone's Throw Urban Farm INCOME (Market Break Out) CSA $ 83,000 $ 42,300 Direct Wholesale $ 66,000 $ 23,900 Farmers Markets $ - $ 29,700 Other (on- site farmstand & plant sale) $ 9,000 Other (grants, educamon services) $ - $ 10,000 Gross $ 158,000 $ 105,900 Other Farm Comparisons * INCOME (Land Based Break Out) Products grown on farmland $ 99,000 $ 95,900 Products grown in greenhouse or other space $ 59,000 Non- Produce income (grants, educamon) $ - $ 10,000 Gross $ 158,000 $ 105,900 EXPENSES Employee Wages $ 57,500 $ - Benefits $ 2,200 $ - Workers' Comp/Payroll Taxes $ 8,000 $ - Total Labor $ 67,700 $ - Payroll % of Gross 43% 0% 15% to 36% Seeds and Plants $ 9,000 $ 10,330 Soil Amendments $ 2,300 $ 9,500 Packing Supplies $ 4,200 $ 1,890 Real Estate Taxes or Rent $ - $ 2,680 MarkeMng Expense $ 200 $ 700 Fuel $ 2,000 $ 3,380 UMliMes $ 2,000 $ 500 Repair/Maintenance $ 1,500 $ 120 Farm Insurance $ 1,500 $ 1,450 Crop Supplies $ - $ 7,070 Interest Expense $ - $ - Office, Phone, Misc. $ 1,000 $ 2,400 Harware Supplies $ 2,000 $ 6,360 Organic CerMficaMon $ 1,500 $ - Other $ 4,600 $ - Total Expenses $ 99,500 $ 46,380 Net Farm Income ** $ 58,500 $ 59,520 Net to Gross 37% 56% 27% to 48% Farmer Draw - Salary & Benefits $ 43,000 $ 40,993

8 Farm Facts Acres in Vegetables Acres in fallow/managed cover crops 1 0 Total Acres 5 3 Farmers 1 4 Est. Annual DepreciaMon (not IRS rules) $8,000 $8,153 Seasonal OperaMng Loans $0 $0 Est. Total Farm ProducMon Assets (no land) $50,000 $44,580 Value of Dwelling no dwelling no dwelling Total Farm Debt $0 $14,500 Non- farm Employment and Percent 0 yes, 30% Total Farmer Years Experience Years in OperaMon on this Farm 12 3 Average Farmer Hours Worked per Week During: March - November December - February Labor (total number of seasonal FTEs) *** Average daily crew size in peak season *** 12 3 Average weekly crew size in peak season *** Total Farmer Labor Hours, extrapolated Farmer Hours per vegetable acre Non- farmer hours per vegetable acre Source of Capital grants, donamons, grants, donamons, profits profits Market Details CSA FSE CSA - 90 FSE 7 grocery stores 15 restaurant/wholesale accounts on- site farmstand 1 farmers market annual plant sale vegetable landscaping business - not included in number Total People (FTE) per acre Total Hours per vegetable acre Gross per Acre $ 33,000 $ 38,360 $10,323 - $53,786 Net per Acre $ 16,833 $ 19,808 $3,358 - $16,578 Farmer Hourly Wage $ $ 4.32 $ $20.30 Assests per acre $ 16,667 $ 17,832 $13,090 - $44,286 Assets to Gross * Taken from other presentamons with this same form format. There are no urban farms represented in this column. ** Before income taxes and depreciamon. Expenses do NOT include capital purchases or wages for the farmers. *** Does not include farmers. These figures are presented for educa_onal purposes only and may not correspond to official records such as IRS or state tax returns. They represent two par_cular farms on two specific years and provide only a star_ng point to examine the financial reali_es of running an urban farm. Numbers from other farms may vary considerabily based on a host of factors including: scale, off- farm income, experience, etc. Thanks to John Hendrickson (Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW- Madison) for developing this format and allowing us to modify it for this purpose!